In a chance discovery, a research team from Europe has learned that a common insect larva is capable of breaking down the plastic found in shopping bags and other polyethylene-based products. This trash-munching caterpillar could inspire scientists to develop a new chemical process to tackle the growing problem of…

Don’t for a second think your lunch is safe just because you’re eating it at a restaurant. Turn your back for just a second and your bowl of guac and rice could be snatched out from under you, unless you happen to be eating it with a tactical plastic spork that’s hiding an intimidating looking knife inside.

Dyson’s Bladeless Fans are wonderfully awesome but also ridiculously expensive. Am I really going to spend 300 bucks on a fan? Nah. Thankfully, Rulof the master maker of things breaks down how to build the bladeless fan with a water jug, a few vases, and a microwave fan.

Getting that last bit of shampoo or detergent out of a bottle is a total pain in the ass. Researchers have now engineered a surface coating that allows thick and soapy products to slide right out—meaning you’ll never have to store your shampoo bottle upside down ever again.

In news that offers hope that human civilization won’t end up drowning in soda bottles and plastic wrap, Chinese chemists have developed a remarkably efficient method for converting polyethylene into liquid fuel. If it proves scaleable, it could make a real dent in global plastic pollution.

European researchers have discovered that larval fish love to gobble-up plastic microbeads, which stunts their growth and makes them more vulnerable to predators. It’s yet another reason to ban these awful materials and to limit the amount of plastic entering into our lakes and oceans.

As a civilization we are blanketing our planet with plastic. One of the most frightening illustrations of this fact is a prediction that by 2050, our oceans will contain more plastic than fish. Amazingly, a smart solution for reducing our reliance on plastic, and protecting marine life, could come from those very…

A new study on seabirds has come to a disturbing conclusion: Their bellies are filled with plastic. Up to 90% of marine birds alive today may have ingested plastic, and by 2050, that number could be as high as 95%.

Some scientists believe we’re living in a new epoch of history, the Anthropocene, defined by how drastically humans have altered the Earth with mining, roadways, and other earthworks. Now, engineers are testing plastic roads that can be installed and removed incredibly quickly.

Who knew that Gatorade, an elixir of life, would be such a fun thing to blast a flamethrower at? Turns out because the plastic bottle shrinks while the cap disintegrates (since there’s no liquid in it), the delicious hangover-curing fluid starts spewing all over the place. Science experiments that involve…

Landfills, E-waste piles, and ocean garbage patches are a part of our world we’d rather not see, but these eyesores aren’t going away. Rather than simply accept that our planet is being swallowed by garbage, one artist has started turning this discarded junk into something beautiful.

Given the sheer amount of torque and power needed to propel a car that weighs thousands of pounds, you’d think that parts made from plastic would disintegrate in minutes. But researchers have developed a plastic gear reinforced with carbon fiber that’s strong enough to actually be used as a replacement for metal parts…

Biodegradeable plastic, now often found in plastic bags and bottles, contains additives that are supposed to get microbes to break down tough plastic faster. But a new study from Michigan State University finds that some of these additives may actually doing, well, jackshit.

More than 5 trillion pieces of plastic weighing 268,940 tons are floating in the Earth's oceans, according to a new study published in PLOS ONE. This latest estimate is based on models of floating plastics data gathered from a series of 680 surface net tows and 891 visual surveys from oceans around the world.

Billed as the world's first liquid plastic welder, Bondic might look like a tube of super glue, but it's far easier to apply and use—without those loopy fumes. It's actually a liquid plastic that remains fluid when applied until you hit it with a blast of UV light for about four seconds. That hardens it into a…

Apparently the Upper Midwest is about to get snow. Like a lot of snow. Like up to two feet in some areas. Too bad Americans don't have this domed house from 1958 to shield them from the unofficial start of winter!

Plastic as a material has pretty much changed the way we live our lives- it's cheap, can be moulded into practically any shape and is, for the most the part, easily recyclable (when people bother to). So why is it that we still use glass bottles and cans to store our beer in? Is it to do with aesthetics? Taste? Or is…